Learn Linux,
101: A roadmap for LPIC-1

Your guide to LPIC-1 exam-preparation articles on
developerWorks

Use this roadmap to find IBM developerWorks articles that will
help you learn and review basic Linux tasks. And if you're also pursuing
professional certification as a Linux system administrator, these articles can
help you study for the Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) exam
101 and exam 102. This roadmap is organized according to the 43 objectives in
the 101 and 102 exams, which you are required to pass for LPI level 1
certification.

Ian Shields works on a multitude of Linux projects for the developerWorks
Linux zone. He is a Senior Programmer at IBM at the Research Triangle
Park, NC. He joined IBM in Canberra, Australia, as a Systems Engineer in
1973, and has since worked on communications systems and pervasive
computing in Montreal, Canada, and RTP, NC. He has several patents and has
published several papers. His undergraduate degree is in pure mathematics
and philosophy from the Australian National University. He has an M.S. and
Ph.D. in computer science from North Carolina State University. Learn more about Ian
in Ian's profile on developerWorks Community.

About this
series

This series of articles helps you learn Linux system administration tasks.
The topics mirror those of the Linux
Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) level 1 (LPIC-1)
exams. You can use the articles to prepare for certification, or just to
learn about Linux.

There are two exams for LPIC-1 certification: exam 101 and exam 102, and
you must pass both to attain LPIC-1 certification. Each exam has several
topics, and each topic has several objectives. This series of articles
covers one objective per article.

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The material in these articles corresponds to the April 2009 objectives for
exam 101 and exam 102 You should always refer to the objectives for the
definitive requirements.

Connect with Ian

Ian is one of our most popular and prolific authors. Browse all of Ian's articles on developerWorks. Check out Ian's profile and connect with him, other authors, and fellow
readers in My developerWorks.

This roadmap is in progress; as we complete articles, we add them to the
roadmap.

Note: New material will be added over the coming months as
it becomes available. Build your own feed as explained in the sidebar, or
check back here for updates.

Exam
101

Exam 101 -
Topic 101: System architecture

Where are the articles? The final developerWorks article
for Topic 101, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, is
nearing completion.

developerWorks article

LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon

101.1
Determine and configure hardware settings
Determine and configure fundamental system hardware. This task
covers integrated and external peripherals, coldplug and
hotplug devices, and different kinds of mass storage devices.
Tools related to devices, including USB devices, setting IDs,
especially for booting, and low-level facilities such as
sysfs, udev, hald, and dbus, are also covered.Weight
2

101.2 Boot
the systemGuide the system through the
booting process. Tasks include giving common boot loader
commands and kernel options at boot time, knowing the boot
sequence from BIOS to boot completion, and checking boot
events in the log files.Weight 3

101.3
Change runlevels and shut down or reboot
system Manage the runlevel of the system. Tasks
include changing to single-user mode, shutting down or
rebooting the system, setting the default runlevel, switching
between runlevels, alerting users, and properly terminating
process. Weight 3 18 Sep 2012 - This article
updated to include material for the LPI Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2,
2012.

Exam 101 -
Topic 102: Linux installation and package management

102.1 Design
hard disk layout Design a disk partitioning
scheme for a Linux system. Tasks include allocating
filesystems and swap space to separate partitions or disks,
tailoring the design to the intended use of the system, and
ensuring that the boot partition is acceptable for the
hardware architecture. Weight 2 27 Nov 2012 -
This article updated to include material for the LPI
Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2,
2012.

102.2
Install a boot managerSelect, install, and
configure a boot manager. Tasks include providing alternative
boot locations and backup boot options, installing and
configuring a boot loader such as GRUB or GRUB 2, and
interacting with the boot loader. Weight 2 04 Dec
2012 - This article updated to include material for the
LPI Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2,
2012.

102.5 Use RPM and YUM package
managementPerform package management using RPM
and YUM tools. Tasks include installing, re-installing,
upgrading, and removing packages using RPM and YUM; obtaining
information on RPM packages such as version, status,
dependencies, integrity, and signatures; and determining what
files a package provides, as well as finding which package a
specific file comes from. Weight 3

Exam 101 -
Topic 103: GNU and UNIX commands

103.1 Work
on the command lineInteract with shells and
commands using the command line. This task includes typing
valid commands and command sequences; defining, referencing
and exporting environment variables; using command history and
editing facilities; invoking commands in the path and outside
the path; and using man pages to find out about commands.
Weight 4

103.3 Perform basic file and directory
managementUse the basic UNIX commands to
copy, move, and remove files and directories. Tasks include
advanced file management operations such as copying multiple
files recursively, removing directories recursively, using
wildcard patterns, finding files and acting on them based on
type size or time, and using tar, cpio, and dd commands.
Weight 4

103.4 Use streams, pipes, and
redirectsRedirect streams and connect them in
order to efficiently process textual data. Tasks include
redirecting standard input, standard output, and standard
error; piping the output of one command to the input of
another command; using the output of one command as arguments
to another command; and sending output to both stdout and a
file. Weight 4

103.5 Create, monitor, and kill
processesManage processes. This task
includes knowing how to run jobs in the foreground and
background, bringing a job from the background to the
foreground and vice versa, starting a process that will run
without being connected to a terminal, and signaling a program
to continue running after logout. Tasks also include
monitoring active processes, selecting and sorting processes
for display, sending signals to processes, and killing
processes. Weight 4

103.6 Modify process execution
prioritiesManage process execution
priorities. Tasks include determining the default priority of
jobs, running a program with higher or lower priority,
determining the priority of a process, and changing the
priority of a running process. Weight 2

Where are the articles? Several developerWorks articles
for Topic 104, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
complete, and the rest are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to
the articles below that are complete, as well as to similar material in
the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 104, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

104.1 Create partitions and
filesystemsConfigure disk partitions and create
filesystems or swap space on media such as hard disks, and
design a disk partitioning scheme for a Linux system. Tasks
include understanding the different types of common Linux
filesystems, and allocating filesystems and swap space to
separate partitions or disks. Weight 2 04 Dec 2012 -
This article updated to include material for the LPI
Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2,
2012.

104.3 Control mounting and unmounting of
filesystemsConfigure the mounting of a
filesystem. Tasks include manually mounting and unmounting
filesystems, configuring filesystem mounting on bootup, and
configuring user-mountable removable filesystems. Weight
3

104.5 Manage file permissions and
ownershipControl file access through the
proper use of permissions and ownerships. Tasks include
managing access permissions on regular and special files as
well as directories; using access modes such as suid, sgid,
and the sticky bit to maintain security; learning how to
change the file creation mask; and using the group field to
grant file access to group members.Weight 3

104.6 Create and change hard and symbolic
linksCreate and manage hard and symbolic
links to a file. Tasks include creating links, identifying
hard and or soft links, understanding the difference between
copying and linking files, and using links to support system
administration tasks. Weight 2

104.7
Find system files and place files in the correct
locationUnderstand the Filesystem Hierarchy
Standard (FHS), including typical file locations and directory
classifications. Tasks include understanding the correct
locations of files under the FHS, finding files and commands
on a Linux system, and learning the location and purpose of
important file and directories as defined in the FHS.
Weight 2

Exam
102

Exam 102 -
Topic 105: Shells, scripting, and data management

Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles
for Topic 105, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 105, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

developerWorks article

LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon

105.1
Shells, scripting, and data
managementCustomize and use the shell
environment. Tasks include customizing shell environments to
meet user needs; modifying global and user profiles; setting
environment variables, such as PATH, at login or when spawning
a new shell; writing Bash functions for frequently used
sequences of commands; maintaining skeleton directories for
new user accounts; and setting command search paths with the
proper directories. Weight 4

Exam 102 -
Topic 106: User interfaces and desktops

Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles
for Topic 106, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 106, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

developerWorks article

LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon

106.1
Install and configure X11Install and
configure X11. Tasks include verifying that your video card
and monitor are supported by an X server, understanding the X
font server, and understanding the X Window configuration
file.Weight 2

Coming soon

106.2
Set up a display managerConfigure the
mounting of a filesystem. Tasks include setting up the XDM (X
Display Manger), GDM (Gnome Display Manager), and KDM (KDE
Display Manager); customizing the greeting and color depth;
and configuring display managers for use by X-stations.
Weight 2

Exam 102 -
Topic 107: Administrative tasks

Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles
for Topic 107, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 107, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

developerWorks article

LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon

107.1
Manage user and group accounts and related system
filesAdd, remove, suspend, and change user
accounts. Tasks include adding, modifying, and removing users
and groups; managing user and group info in password and group
databases; and creating and managing special-purpose and
limited accounts. Weight 5

Coming soon

107.2
Automate system administration tasks by scheduling
jobsMaintain a standard filesystem or
journaling filesystem. Tasks include using the cron or anacron
facilities to run jobs at regular intervals and the
at command to run jobs at a specific time.
Weight 4

Coming soon

107.3
Localization and
internationalizationLocalize a system in a
language other than English and understand why
LANG=C is useful when scripting. Tasks include
understanding locale and timezone settings.Weight
3

Exam 102 -
Topic 108: Essential system services

Where are the articles? The four developerWorks articles
for Topic 108, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 108, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

developerWorks article

LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon

108.1
Maintain system timeMaintain the system time
and synchronize the clock via NTP. Tasks setting the system
date and time, setting the hardware clock to the correct time
in UTC, configuring the timezone, configuring NTP, and
understanding the pool.ntp.org service.Weight 3

Coming soon

108.2
System loggingConfigure the syslog daemon,
as well as the logging daemon to send log output to a central
log server or accept log output as a central log server. Tasks
include understanding syslog configuration files, the syslog
facility, as well as standard facilities, priorities, and
actions.Weight 2

Exam 102 -
Topic 109: Networking fundamentals

Where are the articles? The four developerWorks articles
for Topic 109, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 109, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

Exam 102 -
Topic 110: Security

Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles
for Topic 110, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are
coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 110, based on the previous exam
101 objectives.

developerWorks article

LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon

110.1
Perform security administration tasksReview
system configuration to ensure host security in accordance
with local security policies. Tasks include auditing a system
to find files with the suid/sgid bit set; setting or changing
user passwords and password aging information; using nmap and
netstat to discover open ports on a system; setting limits on
user logins, processes, and memory usage; and basic sudo
configuration and usage. Weight 3

Coming soon

110.2
Setup host securitySet up a basic level of
host security. Tasks include learning about shadow passwords
and how they work, stopping network services not in use, and
learning about TCP wrappers.Weight 3

Coming soon

110.3
Securing data with encryptionUse public key
techniques to secure data and communication. Tasks include
configuring and using OpenSSH 2 clients, learning the role of
OpenSSH 2 server host keys, configuring and using GnuPG, and
learning about SSH port tunnels, including X11 tunnels.
Weight 3

Resources

Learn

At the LPIC
Program site, find detailed objectives, task lists, and sample
questions for the three levels of the Linux Professional Institute's Linux
system administration certification. In particular, see their April 2009
objectives for LPI exam 101 and LPI exam 102. Always refer to the LPIC Program site for the
latest objectives.

Review the entire LPI exam
prep series on developerWorks to learn Linux fundamentals and
prepare for system administrator certification based on earlier LPI exam
objectives prior to April 2009.

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